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Juicebox Interviews Color Ray

Pune (India) based Shrinivas Sundar, better known as Color Ray, is definitely one of India's best kept musical secrets. Shooting to fame in a short time span, with his spellbinding remix of Praveen Achary's "Morning & More" released in 2012, he's been the new kid on the block that everyone's got their eyes on. With his unique style, it was only natural for us to get him on board Juicebox Music. As expected, he delivered a captivating remix of Tanseer's "Both Sides" that impressed many & confirmed his place in this industry. We catch up for a quick chat with Shrinivas and hear what he's been upto.

01. Hey Vas, how's it going?

Color Ray:Hey, it's going good, just enjoying life.

02. Tell us about your moniker - 'Color Ray'.

Color Ray:I started in 2011 as a result of an open minded approach to music without worrying about composing in one particular style. Color Ray as the name says is all about experiencing different colors of life through music that has the force to enliven, sustain, and nourish everything that lives.

03. You've been playing the guitar since your childhood and from what we hear, you're teaching as well. How has it influenced & helped you develop your music in its current form? Do you record instrumentals into your productions too?

Color Ray:Yes. I have been playing the guitar for sometime now. I have played and recorded for several bands earlier. As i am a self thought guitar player, playing with different bands not only helped me in improving my skills as a guitarist but also gave an edge to my composing. Teaching guitar has definitely improved my basics in guitaring and also gave me the opportunity of interacting with some really talented people. Yes I do record instrumentals in my productions. I have used some guitar riffs in my original track 'Cat in the Hat' which I recorded in my studio and you will get to hear a lot of instrumentals in my future releases.

04. From the time you started DJing and producing as part of Dual Drive and then solo, you've come a long way, with immense support from Indian & International heavyweights alike. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Color Ray:Yes indeed, its been an amazing journey so far and I am happy that my music is being heard and liked not only in our country but also internationally. I wish to continue doing so for the upcoming years and make sure that my music reaches everyone. Also with so much of good music coming from within our country by so many talented people I see myself contributing to this growing music scene by releasing some quality tracks and hopefully starting my own record label in the next five years.

05. Tell us about your production process. Do you have a set method when you sit down to produce a track?

Color Ray: Well, usually I start with a default project file which I've made in Ableton with all the things I might use or require in a track. It saves up a lot of time for me. I like working directly in the arrangement view as it gives me a better idea of where i am heading in the track and how to introduce new elements. Most of the times I start with the tunes and then proceed towards the grooves. Also, at the same time I constantly keep on monitoring things making sure they are well below the peaking levels. I like working on monitors but i always make sure I keep switching between headphones and monitors to make sure things are sounding good on both. Then once the track is well arranged and all the elements are right I proceed towards mixing the tracks.

06. What was your creative process when you sat down to remix Tanseer's "Both Sides" for Juicebox Music?

Color Ray: It really took me some time as I had a lot of ideas running through my head for the remix. I made about 6 versions of the remix. After listening to all of them i decided to take the elements i liked the most from every version and arrange it into one. It was the final version that me and Praveen were satisfied with and we decided to go ahead with the release on Juicebox Music.

08. Any new productions (original & remixes) to look forward to in the near future?

Color Ray: Yes. I just finished remixing a track for Jelly for the Babies which will be out soon on Groove9 Records (India). I also have a remix coming on Nikko Z 's Label Dopamine Music in Feb followed by a single release on Particles.

09. Who would you say has been your biggest inspiration to do what you do?

Color Ray: My family, friends, nature and most importantly all the people who listen and make good music.

10. What are your thoughts on the Indian electronic music industry & community, the best parts of it and what lacks in it?

Color Ray: The indian electronic music industry is getting stronger everyday with so much of amazing music and gigs happening everywhere. I must say in the past few years i have learnt so much and discovered so much of music in our country itself. We have a lot of talent in our country which inspires me and the upcoming artists and has showed us that we can work wonders if we work together in making this community even bigger and stronger.

11. The world's ending & you just found out that you're playing the last gig you'll ever play, what would you close with?